Aiko Ina
by AikoIna
Summary: Aiko never believed in words like happiness & love because they disappeared from the world she lived in after the Hawks ruined everything. When Aiko turns nine, she, along with her older brother and younger sister, decide start their new lives together.
1. The Ruthless Beauty & the Hawks of Ruins

(_A/N_: Seemed like an eternity, but my three-day-waiting-period is over! Now to post up my first chapter! Please **don't** steal any ideas, characters, etc from me. Come up with your own ideas, because I hate biters, mm'k? Oh and please **KEEP ME MOTIVATED**! I got bored during the waiting period and wrote chapter two already xD but I still need that motivation.

Usually, I get too carried away with stories and they end up suuuuuper long. x. I'm sorry! But I hope you do enjoy my story kiddos. Is there a way to post pictures up on the same pages as your story? If not I'll just have to post up some links to pictures instead I guess. I'll try to draw some pictures along with the story so you can see how the characters look like. OR you can make some pictures of your own as to how you picture the characters and send them to me by aim, email, review, etc. .. :D Well, I'll leave it at that and let you read chapter one.)

**The Ruthless Beauty and the Hawks of Destruction**

The wind's blowing in my face, and I can't even feel it. I've become so numb. The thick liquid flowing out of me has the greatest stench. It's all that I can taste and smell right now. My dear--my love. He's no longer here, but his body is near. Deafening silence fills my ears. How I long for a breath from his body.

Life wasn't always this harsh. It seemed only yesterday was I strolling on the streets with him-when the world was safe. Earth wasn't exactlythe happiest place in the universe, but it was the only place in the universe that had any happiness. I just wish that people realized that before the bastards showed up.

They were called the Ruthless, also known as the Hawks, but they were known as the assholes, to me, who loved the sight of blood, cash, and women. The way they created their name was pretty idiotic.

The story is that the leader of thousands of men was a woman named Ruth. She was incredibly beautiful with a soft face and hair, but something about her scared the soul out of the men. Ruth was completely ruthless, but that's why they loved her. Together, the gang started their journey of conquering cities.

They were known back then as the Hawks, because of the way they swept into cities aggressively, leaving the cities in ruin when they decided to move on. They preyed on every one and everything. In fact, children were the first to go, then the elderly, the men, and if some women were lucky, their lives would be spared.

Of course, it would only be for a couple of days, which was enough time for them to be raped by dozens of men from the gang. When the Hawks decided the women were no longer fulfilling the men's' desires, they would drag the ladies to one of their city of ruins.

Slowly, the men would torture the women by slitting their throats and cutting off their tongues. Finally, after a few hours which were used to let the blood gush out of the deep wounds, the men would finish their dirty work by lining up what was left of the women. A member of the Hawks gang would walk down the line, shooting the women's' heads off one by one. Everybody in that line would have the thought 'I'm next' run through their head sooner or later.

By the time the man was at the last woman in line, she would be as pale as bed sheets, trembling horribly from knowing she would be the one to receive the cruelest suffering ever. The last woman in line would be left in the ruins. Alone. With the dead bodies and the foul stench of blood right next to her. With the little "movie" of the torture she'd seen and been through playing in her head over, and over, and over again. She was to be left in trauma, with no food, water, or love, which are the three essentials for living.

Only after about five minutes or so, if somebody were to go back to the city which she was left in, they would find her dead. The logic would be that she had died from blood loss, but everybody knows deep down that left-behind committed suicide with whatever she could find, for nobody could live on after going through what she had been through.

The Hawks seemed immortal and too cruel to be real. People thought, 'That's never going to happen to us. It's just a myth,' until it actually happened to them.

It only took two months, in which the Hawks had destroyed over five hundred cities, to wake people up. Although, they woke up on the wrong side of the bed, because about a hundred of the remaining five thousand cities decided to form an alliance to begin a war with the Hawks.

The strong leader of the Hawks fought long and hard during this war. She cut off a few thousand heads and saved the lives of her gang members over a hundred times. Her power seemed so great and unbreakable. That was, until she was cornered by a man named Atticus.

'The war lasted for about a year and Ruth was killed along with thousands of men from her gang, but the weak people from the cities died off before finishing off the Hawks. A few hundred men from the gang, who were still alive, hid in silence. They decided they would rebuild their colony year after year until they had their army back to their original size.

Ryan, Ruth's secret lover, became the new leader and began plotting sweet revenge for his dear Ruth. He also renamed the gang "Ruthless" because their newly found rage inside each others' souls and the group's loss of their beloved leader.

Meanwhile, cities began to grow again, thinking that the Hawks were never to be seen again. Life was being restored to dear Earth, but happiness was forever gone. The dark aura created by the Hawks could not be destroyed. People couldn't help thinking that behind every corner, somebody was out to get them.

True love-these words began to lose their meaning in the world, while the words fear and darkness became apart of everybody. Unfortunately, during this depressing time of Earth, I was born.

Everybody knows the story of the beautiful yet ruthless Ruth and the Hawks' destructions; therefore, everybody also knows about the "peaceful" Earth, which seemed totally unreal. Nobody ever expected anything to change or for the words "true love" to actually live with meaning again-especially me.

I, Aiko Ina, don't believe in those words at all. My mother, however, lived those words. She was completely different from everybody else. That's why she changed her last name to "Ina", which is Greek for "pure", and named me "Aiko", which means "Little Loved One". Also, my initials spell the name "Ai" which means "Love".I didn't have the slightest clue as to why she was so obsessed with these dead words. After all, they meant nothing-or, so I thought.

(A/N: END--aren't you proud of yourself now? you got through my **_WHOLE_** first chapter to my story. Was it good and worth it? I hope so. I made my friends read it and they all said it reminded them of different anime like final fantasy. oO. I don't even know how the final fantasy story goes.)


	2. My Father the Hero and My Brother

(_A/N_: Please **don't** steal any ideas, characters, etc from me. Come up with your own ideas, cause I hate biters, mm'k? Oh and please **KEEP ME MOTIVATED** with reviewssss!

Mannn, this chapter is super long. x. It was just a little side thing so that you can see how Aiko's family is like.)

**My Father the "Hero" and My Brother**

My parents didn't really mean anything to me, so when they died...I wasn't really sad. In fact, I didn't even think of shedding a tear.

My "father", Atticus, was the hero of the war between the cities and the Ruthless. He was the reason why my family and everybody else in the city of Hope were still alive after the war. I guess you could say that everybody was proud of him-except me, that is- but nobody gave a damn about him a few days after the war. He wasn't given an award, a certificate, or any acknowledgement. He was still ordinary old Atticus to me and the world.

Atticus was never around much and it wasn't like he gave a damn about my family. MY family. He didn't deserve the right to be called "the man of the house". One reason was because he we didn't have a house for him to be "the man". The second reason was that he would always be out doing his job which only earned him a few pennies an hour. He worked day and night, yet my mother, my younger sister, my older brother, and I were still cold, wet, and hungry.

Darius, my olderbrother, called our father by his firstname. He said that Atticus didn't have enough respect from us to call him "Father". My mother didn't really have any say in what we called Atticus because she died from a car accident, which was a few months before the war ended.

This was when Atticus started working day and night. He would always give us a dollar or two by the end of each week, but splitting that money between the three of us kids was almost impossible.

Because we didn't really have anywhere to go to sleep, Darius, who was twelve at that time, would find us an alley to sleep in at night. He would find a box for May, my little sister who was only two at that time, and I to sleep in, make us get in, and pull the box against a wall while he sat in front of us.

His back was always turned towards us so he could keep a lookout, but I could just picture in my mind how his face was like. He had this...talent, I guess you could say, where he could have a blank, yet expressive face. Alert and serious, yet calm.

Every night, I would fall asleep with the image of him-just sitting in front of us. In the morning, I would wake up to see him in the same spot as if he didn't move an inch or sleep at all. I always looked up to him and admired his strength and courage. He gave up his childhood to protect May and I, not that the three of us had any friends to hang out with. Even though my brother never told us so, I knew he cared a lot about us. I care about him, too.

He and May were the first people I actually cared about. But after two years, when I was nine, Darius told me he was tired of living the life of a rat and ran way from-well, I can't exactly say "home" because we constantly slept in empty boxes; therefore, he just ran away from...us. He ran away from May...and he ran away from me. He didn't come back for a year, and when he did, I was surprised.

He had changed. Not completely, because I could still sense his caring personality inside of him...but he was just different. He became really intelligent-both life-wise and street-wise. The first thing that Darius did was give me a bar of chocolate, which I slowly ate, lasting me a month.

He told me that he meet some stranger named Balthazar who taught him how to be independent. Apparently, Balthazar taught Darius how to sell illegal items, steal, cheat, lie, read, and so much more. It seemed like Darius had thousands of stories to share about his adventures and stories that Balthazar had told. I couldn't help thinking to myself that Darius's life seemed so...exciting.

I swore he read my mind when he told me about his great idea. The plan was for May and I to join Darius during his adventures. We were supposed to help Darius steal and cheat and lie and sell things. Together, we could earn enough money to buy a house. A real HOUSE with real beds.

It was so tempting, but I was still hesitant to agree on this idea. What if something went wrong? What if May got left behind or hurt? May was only five! How was she supposed to help? "We could get a dog," said Darius. And that was all he had to say. A big smile spread across my face and I approved of his plan, but there was one thing we had to do before we started on our journey.

We looked everywhere for Atticus and we finally found him, but he wasn't at work. He was just sitting on top of a tall bucket onthe sidewalk. He had that blank but expressive face on like Darius had, but I never told Darius how much they looked alike when they had "the face" on.

At first, Darius didn't do anything but stare straight into Atticus's eyes while Atticus glared back, but soon Atticus's eyes trailed off. Somehow, the eyes landed on May's and then mine's. He stared at me longer then he did at Darius or May, and his eyes were so...weak and dreary, yet strong and powerful. It was like...he saw my future and realized something about me.

At that moment, I wish that I knew more about him. Darius saw how long and hard that "old fart" was staring at me, so began yelling and insulting Atticus.

Darius called him "a useless piece of...shoe", and "a mother...freezer", remembering that May and I were just a few inches away. Just by hearing his insults, I could tell that Darius regretted not being able to have shared a bond with Atticus, too. I realized that his pain and loneliness turned into buring anger for Atticus, and I suddenly felt sorry for Darius.

Throughout the whole time Darius was "cursing", Atticus just sat there staring at me until it got to the point where Darius had to scream for Atticus's attention. The last thing he said to Atticus was that we were leaving his lazy "...acorn" behind and that we didn't need him anymore. Darius then took May from me, took my arm, and we just walked away.

I turned around with one last look at Atticus and whispered quietly, "Bye daddy..." Surprisingly, he waved to me as if he heard my good-bye. There was something about him that was puzzling. Maybe that's why our mother married him.

I never got to ask him why he seemed so different or why our mother married him because he died that night from a simple cold. I wondered why he didn't go to the hospital, but remembered that he didn't have any money.

All the money he made was sent to us. He sacrificed his own life for ours, yet we didn't show him any respect. But that would change. Even though I wasn't sad about his death, I still understood his sacrifices and now had a lot of respect for Atticus. No, my FATHER who really WAS a hero.

That night, May slept in my arms in another box in another alley while Darius stood guard again. Just then, I realized how much my father and Darius had in common. Their eyes, their face, their personalities...poor Darius. He probably looked up to father like I looked up to him, but father was never there, so Darius had nowhere to look but the ground.

I wanted to stay up with him that night to make him feel better, but I fell asleep. The next morning, I woke up by force because something was licking my face. After wiping the saliva off of my eyes, I saw that Darius had gotten us a puppy and my, what a beautiful thing it was.

He was covered with dirt and dead grass, but underneath all of that shaggy-ness was a magnificent dog. I quickly woke May up and she was also surprised. Darius told me that I could name the dog, but I couldn't think of a name on the spot.

It took almost forever until I came up with the name Ryu, meaning "dragon" in Japanese. We called him "RI" for short, which is made up from his initials. (Ryu Ina). Darius called out Ri's name and that puppy came charging at Darius.

For the first time, I heard my brother laugh. It was the first time I ever heard anybody laugh, and...I felt...good. Like Darius's laugh would make me...feel good because it was contagious. With that laugh, I felt as if everything in my life was to change, but in a good way. Maybe mother was right. "Love"...maybe the word really does have a true meaning to it.

(A/N: END--yeah, for some reason I don't think a lot of you will like this chapter cause it's just about her family. "/. Welllll, I still like this chapter cause it's like background on Aiko. Hm, I just realized that this is sorta like "The Series of Unfortunate Events". Three kids who have to fend for themselves. Hah...Let's see how long it'll take for me to make Chapter Two. x. Motivationnnnnn is the key. ;D)


	3. Time City

(A/N: Please don't steal any ideas, characters, etc from me. Come up with your own ideas, cause i hate biters, mm'k? Oh and please KEEP ME MOTIVATED with reviewssss! 

Been LONG while, but yeahhh. I'm back. Thanks to my friends and the review i got, i'm gonna keep going with this story. I've been drawing some pictures to go a long with the two chapters that i have up, but i dont know whether i should post them up. Ehhh. We'll see. I might post them up when/if i finish this story. Anywho, i've FINALLY started and finished chapter three. It took me a long time to think of how to start it, but i finished the story in two days. Wasted SO much paper cause i was writing it during my summer classes. I didn't really have time to edit it cause it was on paper, but there are scribbles everywhere from me trying to get things in order. Now i've gotta use time to type everything up. T-T. Well, here you go. I hope at least one person is reading this story? x)

Chapter Three: Time City

Run. Run! Just don't stop. I can't. I musn't. But he's just too fast for my little legs...I can hear his stomping closing in on me.

This wasn't the first time that I'd be chased by a shop keeper for stealing things. Luckily, the past shop keepers were tubby and slow. This time...i was completely out of luck. The man was enormously tall and fast. He was only a few paces from me now. I might as well give up.

About to start our journey, we were completely syked. Unfortunatly, we didn't get very far because we only passed by three cities in to days before we stopped in the city "Is" because May had caught a cold. Darius gave me the job of getting food for us while he was off getting medicine for May.

He had just begun to teach me how to steal things, so usually he'd be around the corner of the block. If i ever got into any trouble, and i usually did, he'd be ready to jump the person while i ran back to May and Ryu who would usually be located a few blocks away.

This time, Darius had to get the medicine, so i had to do this alone. We split up after deciding to leave Ryu and May in a safe place. Darius was counting on me, and i hated letting him down. I had to do this right. But seeing how this was going, i knew Darius would be disappointed in me.

Feeling the wisp of wind blow right past my neck, I realize the shop keeper just barely missed me, so I close my eyes and brace myself for what I knew was coming next. I waited and waited, but nothing came. Confused, i stop running, open my eyes, and turn around slowkly to see the back of somebody's hair. I let out a sigh in relief that Darius had came back after stealing the medicine.

Stepping a few feet away, I my eyes widen as I find that the boy wasn't a Darius at all. He was a complete stranger whose legs and arms are spread out. Looking past his shoulder, i see that the big footed shop keeper had also stopped and was standing a few feet in front of the boy.

The kid smirked. "Don't you adults have anything better to do then pick on little kids? More importantly, little girls like this?"

"Back off you little brat. That little girl stole a basket of food from my shop. I'm not after you so don't butt in. The Big Foot crossed his arms and grinned at the boy, "Plus, I'd just waste my time with a piece of shit like you."

"Oh yeah? Try me you old bastard." The boy dropped his arms, slipped them into his pocket, and laughed. "I bet all the food the girl stole from you that I could beat you with just one of my hands."

"Don't be such a smart ass, kid. I'll beat you to a pulp in just a few seconds." Big Foot pulled out a pocket knife. "I was going to kill the girl, but since you don't know how to respect your elders, I might as well kill you too." The man opened his pocket knife and got ready to charge towards us.

All the boy did was close his eyes and smirked again. "You're making a big mistake here, fatty."

"Oh yeah?" The man licked his knife. "Kid, you're dead."

"Well?" Opening one of his eyes, the boy grinned. "Come at me."

Big Foot came tearing down the side walk and The boy just stood as still as a statue. Horrified, I close my eyes and turn away. All i could hear was a kick, a punch, and a big thumb before silence came. Suddenly, i feel somebody's hand on my shoulder. I begin to tremble in fear, but smacked the hand away as fast as i could.

"Hey now, it's not nice to hit somebody that just saved you, little girl." The voice came from the boy. I turn around and open my eyes in surprise. How was that possible? I look past the boy standing in front of me to see BIg Foot unconcious in the middle of the streets with his pocket knife in the boy's hands. I stood there in shock for a while until the kid waved his hand in my face.

"You pee in your pants, babe?"

Giving him an annoyed look, I push his hand out of my face. "Who the hell are you calling babe, brat?"

"Brat? Hah. Trying to act tough, huh?" The idiot slips the knife into his pocket and raises his hand to pat my head. "Kid you should be more careful next time. Little babes like you could get killed."

Getting angry, I try to smack his hand away again, but he was too fast and grabbed my arm.

"Let go! What's your problem!" I try wrenching my arm away from him over and over again but his grip would only tighten.

"You're gonna need a lot more then that to land a hit on me, kiddo." He smilled and pulled me closer towards him.

Blushing, I turn my head away, afraid of what he'd think if he saw how red my cheeks were turning. He already knew I was embarrassed, however, and laughed. This boy was getting awfully annoying. First he calls me babe and kid, like i'm some child. Being ten didn't make me a kid! I'd be a teenager soon, like Darius. Also, the kid gets the nerves to get this close to me? He was just a little brat.

"Come on. Let's go eat the food you've got there. The big guy won't mind." Still holding me by the arm, he begins to run off, forcing me to run with him.

"Where are we even going?" I was trying to balance the basket in my free arm.

"You'll see in a few minutes."

I began to pout. Where was this fool taking me? I don't even know who this kid is, why should i be following him? I need to get his hand off of my arm. I need to get back. Now. Careful not to drop anything, i try reaching over with my arm carrying the basket to free my other arm from his hand. As i touch his hand, it begins to loosen and i instantly feel relief.

His hand was letting go now, so i begin to pull my arm away, but his hand reached for my hand this time. The boy's fingers wrap around mines and I begin to tense up. Careful not to drop the basket of food, I tighten my grip on the basket of food while the boy's grip tightened around my hand. Once again, my cheeks turned red in embarrasment.

Snapping back, i find myself feeling completely stupid. What was this boy's intention? He shouldn't even be touching me right now. I begin to pull my hand away, but his grip tightens and he pulls me faster.

"Stop wriggling your hand around. You're being difficult. Don't worry, you can trust me."

When we reached the lake he was taking me to, i was compleltely stunned. It was so blue and shiny, like nothing i've ever seen before. The boy let go of my hand and began walking towards the water. Relief and confusion swept over me. I was glad he finally let go, but what exactally were we doing here? I stood there expecting him to say something, but he never did.

"What are we doing?" There was no answer from him. Instead, he plops himself right in front of the lake and lays down on the dead grass. He looks up to the sky and waves his hand, gesturing me over.

I was hesitant for a few seconds, but my body decides to move on its own as it drags me towards him. When i finally gain control of it again, I was standing right behind his head.

"If you're just going to stand there all day, at least stand at an angle where you'd block the sun from my face." Seeing that i was still standing there, he decides to take an apple from the basket I was holding. "I told you. Don't worry. You can trust me. Just relax and sit down." He pulls out the pocket knife he took from Big Foot. " It's not like i'm going to hurt you."

Now annoyed at how casual he was being with me, i sit down a few feet away from him. "Darius says not to trust any body. Especially not idiots like you." I glare at him, half expecting him to threaten me with the pocket knife for calling him and "idiot".

Instead, he begins to cut the apple. "Who's Darius? Your dad?"

"No."

"Your friend?"

"No."

"Your boyfriend? Wow, you're a little too young for a boyfriend, aren't you?"

He really is an idiot. "I dont have one! For your information, Darius is my brother." Saying that, I remember May and how much i she needs me. "Listen, thanks for kicking that guy's ass back there, but i need to get back to my sister, so-"

"Why? Don't worry about her. If she's as fiesty as you, then she'll be fine." He starts eatting the apple he took from me with one and and slips another under his head. The boy looks up at the sky and closes his eyes.

Feeling like I should stay a little longer because he saved me, I pull my knees to my chest. I have to admit, it's really nice here. Even with the dead grass. I watch as the clouds pass by for what seemed like forever.

But each cloud i watch pass by makes me worry more about May. "Uhm..."

"You know, you're kind of cute for such a little girl." I look over at him and couldn't hold back the blood rushing to my cheeks. "Too bad you aren't older, smarter, stronger, and faster."

Suddenly, my face burns with anger. "Really? Well what makes you so great?"

As he finishes eatting that stupid apple, the boy sets the core of the apple aside as he reaches over. "You're touchy too." He laughs as he pulls me closer. "I was just kidding. Okay?"

He really knows how to make somebody feel embarrassed. I look at his face, ready to yell at him, but his eyes catch my attention. After a few seconds, i begin to feel awkward and begin to sweat a little, so to i try to pull my eyes away from his, but something about them draws me in.

Just by looking into this boy's eyes, i feel warmth. I feel as if i really could trust him. As if I've known him all my life. Like, he suddenly became a part of me.

"Your sweat is getting my arm all sticky." But then again, he's a complete idiot who knows how to ruin everything. He laughs as he reaches up and pats my head again. "Alright kiddo, let's get you back to your big brother. He's probably getting worried." I hate how he treats me like a five year old.

We both get up and his eyes refocus on the clouds. "Where are you suppose to meet him?"

I point back to the direction from which we came from. "Darius told me to wait near the shop somewhere so he can find me easily."

"Let's go." He turns around and begins to head back and I glance at his hand to see it begin to move. I willingly reach forward and brace myself for the rush of warmth he sent me through his hand.

But, I quickly withdrew when i realize he was only slipping his hands into his pocket. Feeling completely stupid and slightly confused, I jam my hands into my own pocket, cursing myself for being so idiotic. Why did I reach for his hand anyways? Cause I'm stupid. That's why.

When we reached the spot where the boy had fought the shop keeper, Big Foot was still laying on the floor, blacked out. I stop shortly to take in how strong this boy must be. Big foot was holding a knife in his hands, yet this kid was able to take it away from him and then take the guy down with two blows?

Aware that I stopped, the boy stops, too, and turns around. "What?" He turns to face the direction which i was staring at and laughs. "Don't wory, he won't be up for a long time. We can wait at the shop for your brother."

"Won't you get in trouble?"

"For beating that old bastard up? Nah. Nobody gives a shit about him. In fact, everybody's tired of his nagging and bitching." He turns around and begins walks toward one of the shop. Stopping, he leans his back against the wall and props one of his foots against it. Crossing his arms and closing his eyes, he lifts his head up to face the sky again and sighs. "You know, you don't have to wait for my permission for you to move closer."

"I'm not waiting for your permission." I walk over to him and lay against the wall like he is. "I'm perfectly capable of doing whatever I want, whenever I want by myself."

"Well, aren't you little miss independant? Especially when I was the one who had to save you from that old geezer."

"You're the one who rushed into my business. It's not like I asked you to save me."

He chuckled and then the silence came. I look over at him and took the time to examine his face. He looks gorgeous to me, but I would never have said that out loud. His hair looks so soft, even though the color of it was redish-brown. His face was perfectly shaped. The eyes lashes that could reach his eye lids when his eyes were open are so thick and long, but it didn't make him seem feminine at all.

The boy looks around eighteen years old, making him a four years older then Darius, although he certainly didn't act mature. I've been with him for less then half an hour and he's been smiling and joking and teasing me.

"Get enough, kid?" He opens one of his eyes and looks over at me. "I don't need my eyes to sense the stares you're giving me."

"There was a bug on you. That's all." I quickly turn away, mumbling how stupid I'm acting. Silence breaks out once again, and it begins to annoy me again. I have to break it somehow.

"Uh..." But what was I suppose to say?

"Yeah?" He opens both of his eyes and turns to face me.

I was still unable to face him, but now he was expecting something to come out of my mouth. I'll just blurt something out. "Are you...going to talk to me again after today?" Where the hell was I going with this? I begin to regret saying anything and wish for the silence that seems so good right now.

"What do you mean kid?" He sounds as confused as I am.

"Uh, I don't know. Just...nevermind." I feel so awkward. More awkward then when were staring at each other.

I could sense he was staring at me. After a long period of time, he finally spoke again. "You mean, will I still be your friend?"

I turn to face him and see the big smile across his face. I lower my head and stare a the floor in embarassment. I guess that really was the point I was getting at, but it seemed so stupid to ask, yet I blurted it out from nowhere. I slightly nod my head.

"You really do need to get smarter."

Wondering what he meant, I look back up at him, but see his hand coming towards me. I begin to move my head back, but it was too late. He flicks my head and laughs out loud.

"What the hell was that for?" I wait for answer, but he just smiles at me. Understanding that it really was a stupid question, I look away from him again. "You could've just said no."

He chuckles and i begin to feel engraged. Was it really necessary for him to make fun of me?

"Do you even have to ask?" I turn back around and look at him with surprise. "I was your friend the moment I saw you running away from that old bastard. I don't beat people up for just anybody. You're obviously my friend after what we just went through today."

Still shocked, I stand there staring at him. He smiles at me once again before looking back up at the sky.

"Kid you really don't know anything do you? Don't be so surprised. You're a good kid, so I'm no letting you go so easily. You need me to watch after you, anyways." He grinned. "You're too stupid to watch yourself."

"Yes, she is." The boy opens his eyes and looks at the source of the voice. I look, too, to find Darius standing a few feet in front of us with May on Ryu's back. She looks even worse then before. Guilt rushes over me. How could I forget about her like that? "In fact, she's just plain stupid."

"Darius-"

"What'd I tell you about talking to strangers? They can be dangerous." Darius smirked. "You're just lucky you met this guy instead of some freak."

My eyes widen from surprise. They...know each other?

The boy smiles at Darius. "Long time no see, kid. I didn't know this was Aiko when i first saw her. I was surprised when she told me Darius was her brother's name."

Darius flashes a smile back at the boy. "Stop calling me kid. You're only a few years older then me. How come you're not with Balthazar?"

"That old slab of fat? I left him. He was getting on my nevers." Balthazar...so he introduced my brother to this boy? "Plus, he taught me everything he knew. No use staying around him anymore. It's time I start my new life."

May suddenly begins to cough uncontrolablly, so Darius quickly grabbed some food from my basket. He stuffs some of the medicine into the food and tries to feed May. "Come on, May. You have to start eatting. You'll feel better." Reluctantly, May begins to eat.

While Darius was out getting her medicine...what was I doing? Trying to make a new friend? Looking at the sky? I'm a complete idiot.

"Her coughing's stopped and she's gone to sleep." Darius stands up to see the worried look on my face. Walking over, he reaches one of his arms out and wraps it around my neck to pull me closer. "It's okay. She's fine. Don't beat yourself up."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been fooling around. I should've been here waiting for you a long time ago." I dig my face deeper into Darius's chest.

"Darius, I'm sorry too." I over to see the boy staring at Darius. "I shouldn't have distracted her."

I was waiting for a response from Darius but he didn't say a word. I look up at his face which was still looking down at me. He looks so worried, yet relieved.

"As long as both my sisters are safe, there's no need for apologies." His eyes soften as he looks into mines. "You had me worried."

"So. What are you and your sisters doing here anyways?"

Daris slowly let go of me to face the boy. "We needed to gather some stuff for our journey."

"Oh? And where are the three of you and a little mutt plan on heading?"

"Where ever we feel like." Darius looks away from the boy and gestures Ryu to walk over here. "But, I'm planning to head to 'Time City.'"

My eyes widen. Darius never said anything to me about having an actual destination. Especially a place like Time City.

The boy, however, looked indifferent. "The City of Time. That's where the Hawks started and ended right? It should be in ruins by now. What would a couple of kids like you want with a city like that?"

"I'm surprised you didn't hear it before me." Looking back at the boy, Darius's eyes became serious. "The Hawks have changed their name to 'the Ruthless'."

"Of course. They renamed themselves that after losing the war, but they disappeared after that."

"Only to reappear. They've been rebuilding their clan over the past three years, recruiting as many people as they can. I heard them asking a man in an ally near the shop I stole the medicine from. They're gathering together in Time City in a few year with thousands of new members."

No. This couldn't be. Not again. It was hell the first time. I had went through that horrible period and I didn't want to go through it again.

"Ai." Snapping back, I look over at my brother whose eyes were burning with anger. "I know you think that mother was killed in a car accident, but she wasn't. She was captured by one of them. You were only seven at the time, so I didn't want to tell you, but she was. She was taken away by a man named Ryan and he took her away to give to his crew as if she were a bone to toss to dogs for a job well done. Atticus was away fighting of in Time City. That's the real reason I don't respect him. It's because he was fighting for everybody else but us. He wasn't protecting us."

His eyes begin to change. Instead of anger, his eyes show sadness as tears roll down his cheeks. "He wasn't there for Mom, you, May, or me. Instead, he left us, so I had to step up."

I never saw Darius like this before. Seeing him so sad makes me feel sad, too. My eyes begin to get blurry. This...is what happened? "Why...How...?"

"Mom was cooking in the kitchen one day and told me to make sure you and May were okay in the living room, so I did. When i came back, that bastard Ryan had broken down the door and was already standing in our kitchen. Mom was facing him with a knife and realized I was standing behind her in the kitchen doorway. She quickly closed the door to the kitchen and locked it with they key which I think she slipped into her pocket.  
Quietly and quickly, she whispered to me, telling me to take both you and May to the Attic. I wanted to refuse. I wanted to fight the bastard my self, to protect mother. But Ryan's voice stopped me. He was demanding for her to leave with him, but she refused. I heard a punch and mom's scream, then there was silence.  
I stood in front of that door for a few minutes before I heard footsteps again. Suddenly the doorknob jiggled, and I thought it was mother. Relieved, I opened my mouth to ask if he was gone, but Ryan's voice interrupted me before I could say anything. He was talking to Ruth. Shocked stiff, I stood there again. It wasn't until you walked up to me and pulled on my sleeve, Ai, when I remembered what mother wanted me to do.  
I quickly lead the two of you upstairs and up to the attic right before Ryan knocked the door down. He told Ruth he was sure that mother was keeping somebody from him, but Ruth suggested she was just trying to keep her valuables from being taken. They took almost everything from our house.You and May were asleep by the time they left, so I carried you two outside before they could burn down our house.  
I ran and ran until I reached the woods. I was exhausted by then, so my eye lids were too heavy for me and i fell asleep shortly after we reached the woods.When I woke up, you two were still asleep, so I quickly ran to The City, our city. But all I could see were ashes and ruins. I fell to my knees and hands and wept as I remembered what that bitch had said about how mom was protecting her valuables...She saved us by sacrificing herself."

His voice trailed of for a few seconds and then started again. "Ai, we were her valuables."

Waiting a while for my mind to take in the story, I look at Darius. Then, out of no where, i begin to cry. I was only seven when she died, and I didn't cry, but i still loved her. Being told that she died in a car accident was one thing, but after hearing the stories about how the Ruthless treated women they captured...and then hearing that my mother was one of the women. It's too much for me to handle. I have to let it out. Mother didn't deserve that. She was too nice.

"She didn't deserve it at all..." After a while, I realize the shaky voice that said that belongs to me.

Darius wipes his tears away, steps towards me, and pulls me close again. "I know, Aiko. I know. That's why I'm going to go stop them before they start something again." He put his hand on top of head so I look up at him. "I'm sorry I lied to you.You were so young. I didn't want you to feel the way I did, or see how much of a coward I was. If only I had just-"

"Idiot!" His eyes widen as he looks at me. Tears were rushing down from my eyes now, but these were tears of anger. "Mother didn't want us killed. She saved us. Don't regret anything. Don't let her death give us regret and sorrow because we didn't do anything. We couldn't! You did what you had to do. What she told you to do. So don't let her death be meaningless and have it go to waste! Mom wouldn't want to see us like this. She'd want us to be happy and to smile! She'd...want us to find the meaning of true love and restore it to this world and remind everybody how important it is to this world."

"She's right, Darius." Both Darius and I turn around to see the boy looking up to the sky. I think the both of us had forgotten he was still standing there. "My mom sounds the same as yours. She gave up her life to save me from the Ruthless, too." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Your mom's looking down at you guys right now, and so is my mom."

The boy smiled and looked back at us. "So why don't we smile for them, hm?"

I look up at Darius who was looking up at the sky. Suddenly, a smile comes across his face. Relieved, I smile too and look up at the sky with him. The three of us, Darius, the boy, and I stood staring at the sky for a while.

"Darius, we can't lie to May. She has to know the truth. We'll tell her when she turns six, but we can't wait any longer then that."

"I know." Darius face lowers as he looks at the boy, then at me. "Thanks you two. I've been hating myself for a long time now."

The boy also tore his eyes away from the clouds to look over at Darius. "Haven't we all hated ourself for something?" He smiles and walks over to us. "I think we should stop them. If not for revenge, then for the sake of the world. The Ruthless awaken once again, and they're bound to take over. The world's not in the condition to take them on right now."

"Then again, neither are we." Darius glances over at May and Ryu, then me, and then back at the boy. "Plus I need to find a good place to keep my sisters safe over there."

"No! If you're doing this, I'm going with you. I'm not going to be some burden nor am I going to lose you. If you go, we go together. I'm going with you even if I die. I'm not scared."

"But you don't even know how to fight, Ai." Darius sighed, "I'm not going to leave you behind like Atticus did. We'll find more people to join us and I'll leave some members with you guys in Time City. You'll be close, but safe. I won't-"

"I'll train! You can teach me what Balthazar taught you!"

"Even if I did, it won't be enough. I'm nothing compared to Balthazar and him." He points to the boy. "One year isn't enought to learn everything he's got to teach people, Ai. It's not that simple..." He let out a sigh.

"I can teach her." The boy put his hand on my shoulder. "I've learned everything from Balthazar. I could teach you, too."

"But it'll take too long to teach two people at once. Time is not something we have right now. Years will seem like they're passing by quickly while we're training." Darius looks at the boy. "And we can't even stop by Balthazar's. He keeps moving around"

"It'll take to long to find him..."The boy sighed, too. "Then we'll recruit our own people. Balthazar's best student lives about thirty cities away, but he's on the way to Time City. I'm sure we can get to him. he can train you. Maybe we can even get him to join us. It'll take about a half a year, maybe longer to reach him, but we've got no other choice."

Darius looks into my eyes once again. "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"

I nod my head feriously. "Of course I am!" I flash him a smile.

"Alright, but you can change your mind anytime you want, okay?"

Shaking my head, I glance over at the boy. "If he's learned from Balthazar, he's got to be good. Darius, you're already pretty strong. I'm not going to give up or give in. I'm ready for anything.

The boy smirks. "Alright, if we're going to do this, let me gather somethings and we can be on our way."

He begins to walk towards the lake once again and Darius, May, Ryu, and I follow him. On the way, Darius tells me that the boy's name is Haruko, which means "shining brightly". When we reached the lake, Haruko went to get something from under a small bridge the stretched across the lake.

When he came back to us, he shows me his kitten named Ioa. She had extremely long ears and her tail had a ribbon on it attached with a bell.Haruko then shows me that Ioa flies. She was simply adorable and Ryu had no problem with her.

Leaving the "All City", the city we were just in, I realize that with the two new members in our group, training was going to be easy.

END--i wonder when i'm going to be able to write chapter four. Haruko's original name was suppose to be after my friend. He read the first two chapters and demanded that i named a character after him, so i thought "what the hell" and decided to name this new character after him. Unfortunatly, my friend isn't as good looking as i'm imagining the character in the story. XD! If you're reading this, i'm kidding. :D. Ahaha. Well my other friend Christina told me I should rename the character and we decided to name him "Haruko".


	4. My Well Spent Birthday

(**A/N:** After my friend christina began to bug me about writing the next chapter, i decided to write it. xD. Sorry, hun. 3 Here it is, as promised.)

"Again."

We didn't have a punching bag, so Darius made me use a tree.

"Harder."

My knuckles were already bleeding and were most likely crushed, but I didn't care. I didn't say anything about the pain and neither did Darius, although I knew he wanted to.

"Focus, Aiko, Focus."

Haruko was suppose to be training me, but Darius suggested that Haruko train himself before training me. I didn't care at first, but now I regret agreeing to the stupid idea.

"Now do the kicking exercises."

It wasn't that Darius wasn't training me enough...it was that Haruko knows a lot more techniques then Darius. Plus, Darius was holding out on me. I mean, all he's been teaching me since we left Time City three days ago were kicks and punches. I already know how to kick and punch a stupid tree and I don't need anybody to show me how to do it.

"Good."

This is getting really boring, really fast. I stop kicking the crap out of the tree and turn to face him.

"Darius..."

"What's wrong? You need a break?" His voice seems somewhat happy. -.-"

Ugh. Why didn't he get it? I'm not a little girl anymore."No, I can keep going all day."

"Oh. Then what's up?" His eyes were somewhat disappointed. Man, he just can't accept the fact that I'm really going through with this.

"...Why won't you teach me something that's challenging?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are you teaching me these excercises even May knows how to do?"

Darius crosses his arms and raises one of his eye brows."Oh? Easy moves, huh?"

"Yeah...I can teach these things to myself, for crying out loud."

"Really? Well." I could read him like a book. His eyes show he's not mad at all. He's just trying to push me."Fine, that's okay with me. Tell you what, after a week of some intense training, you and I will have a fight. If you win, I'll tell Haruko to start training you."

There was a catch. There was always a catch. "And, if you win...?"

"Then you'll have to train with me for five months before Haruko gets to train you. You'll learn techniques my way. At my speed. Sound good?"

Five months...at THIS speed? Oh man. This is even worse then being a slug. I felt like a freakin rock at the side of the road. Where the hell was he going with these stupid kicks and punches? This sucks. ...But...then again...

"Deal." I shake Darius' hand and my blood transfers to it. "I'll beat you without a doubt."

He pulls his hand out of my grip with a disgusted look on his face as he tries to shake the blood off. "Just...go wash up."

Smiling, I turn away and head towards the nearest shop to buy a bottle of water. Right now, we're at the point where getting money is easily done. There was ONE thing that Darius taught me that was useful: how to pick-pocket.

After washing up, I decide to train again. Bring it on, Darius. I care about you a lot, but you're holding me back. If i hope to kill that son of a bitch, Ryan, I need to get serious right away.

I wake up the next day to cold water splashing in my face. I jump up to find an idiotic smile spreading across my brother's face.

"Rise and shine, little sis." Darius throws a towel he stole from a store to my face. (Why buy when you're slick enough to steal? x)) "You want intense training? You got it. We're starting bright and early. Two am every morning sound good?"

"Sure..." I'm still half asleep, but I'm completely pissed off. Groaning, I get out of the box and yawn. May wasn't wet at all because Darius had set her in a different box last night. I was suspicious of it, but I didn't really care. ...That tricky son of a-

"Alright. So you want a faster speed and better techniques? No problem. But first, let's exercise. Let's see fifty push ups." He crosses his arms, waiting for me to begin.

"What the hell is the point of doing FIFTY push ups!"

"Well, I gotta see how strong you are, don't I?" That brat's smirking inside that empty head of his. I know it.

"Really? Cause I think you just want to see me suffer."

"Hey, you can just stand there telling me how bad of a coach I am or get to training so that you can get rid of this bad coach. Your choice."

"...ugh." I lazily get down on my hands and knees.

Darius uncrosses his arms to pick Ri up and places him on my back.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Now he was just being plain obnoxious. "Is this really neccesary!"

Darius just acts if he did nothing. "Huh? What? Oh, you can't handle a little extra weight, sis?"

Asshole. I curse a few words before beginning his damn push ups. Ri curls up and falls asleep on my back while Darius stands back laughing inside.

I taught myself how to tell the time of day it was by the position of the sun. It was around...three or four when I collapsed on the ground after finishing the push ups. I might've finished sooner if not for the long stops because of how tired I was getting.

"Okay, munchkin. Now give me 50 sit ups."

"WHAT!"

"Now."

"You just make me...ugh." I get on my back and finish about hour later. Sit ups are easy, but still. I struggle to get up, panting heavily. "Are we...going to...learn...better techniques...now?"

"Sure thing. I don't see why not." Darius pauses for a second and I groan again. He's thinking of something else to make me go through."Yeah...let's go into the woods we passed by a couple miles back to train. We can run there."

"A COUPLE miles? Darius, the woods we passed yesterday were twenty three miles away from here! You gotta be-"

"It's only twenty three miles." ...of course he wasn't kidding. T-T. "Let's go, Aiko. I'll give you...two hours to get there before I start running after you. Starting...now."

"What about May and them? Haruko's been training twenty four/seven. You know that we can't just leave them. Who's going to take care of them?" I'm more concerened about finding an excuse then May. It's obvious that Ri would. Stupid dog. D:

"That's why we got a dog, whom I love because he just killed your excuse. Don't worry. Just start heading to the woods in the...hour and fifty eight minutes you have left."

Sighing, I turn around and start running until Darius is out of site. When I'm sure he can't see me, I stop running.

This was just too much. My back ached from the exercises, I'm hungry, thirtsy, and completely tired. I've had enough. Darius is just doing this to prove a point and he did. I give up. Five months with him isn't that bad, I guess.

I let out a long sigh and squat down against the closest wall.

"This sucks." I rest my arms on top of my knees, lay my head on top of my arms, and close my eyes. I've got two hours before Darius comes running this way to head to the woods, but I'm too lazy to move a muscle.

"So...this is intense training huh? Sleeping against the wall?" Ah, crap. I guess Darius could still see me after all. I lift my head up to see Haruko's smiling face instead of Darius's angry one.

"You..." Surprised to see him, I didn't know what to say. Since the training sessions began, I've never seen a glimpse of Haruko. Even when we were traveling from city to city. Darius would tell me Haruko went ahead. Seeing him now was like seeing a ghost.

His warm smile came across his face and he sat next to me. I watch him as he pulls out a can of beer and drinks it. "Miss me, squirt?"

"Who said I give a damn about where you've been? Of course I didn't miss you." ...Liesssssss. :X. "Speaking of squirts, aren't you a little too young for beer?"

"Don't worry bout it. Nobody will care if I sneak a beer or two." He finishes the drink in a few seconds and sets it aside. "Plus, I'm gon' need a break from all the training. Aren't you and Darius supposed to be training together right now? For at least another week, right?"

I pout and look towards the woods. "Yeah...but he's being a real hard ass lately."

"I don't think there are a lot of ten year old girls who curse as much as you do." Haruko laughs and pats my head. "Well, do you know why he's being so tough on you?"

"Well..I kind of asked him for training that would be more challenging...but this is ridiculous!"

"I see..." He sighs, then runs his hand through his soft hair. I want to die. Why is somebody as gorgeous as HIM living on the streets? It should be illegal.

Silence surrounds us and I don't even care. Stupid Darius really kicked the crap out of me with the training.

I jump when Haruko suddenly stands up. "I'll talk to Darius. Just go watch May, Ri and Ioa right now."

"But.."

"Don't worry, I'll handle it." Smiling, Haruko reaches his hand out, offering to help me up. Hesitantly, I slip my hand into his and gasp in shock when he pulls me onto his back. "Alright, babe. Hold on tight and don't let go."

I begin to blush, but quickly grab hold around his neck because he had already began moving. At first, I felt completely awkward, but was too tired to say anything. Slowly, my eyelids begin close on their own and I find myself burrying my face into Haruko's back. He's so warm... It suddenly feels right to be this close to him-like, this is what I've needed.

The next day, i wake up to the sound of Haruko's soft voice.

"Aiko, wake up kiddo."

The position of the sun would mean it's six...pm right now.

SIX! I shoot up, wide awake. Darius is going to kill me. I skipped the rest of the training session yesterday and now I was going to be late fore today's. Our lessons start at two in the MORNING.

"Shit!" Panicing, I quickly get out of my box.

"Whoa, whoa." Haruko grabs me by the shoulders and puts me on pause. "Slow down, babe. I talked to Darius yesterday and I managed to convince him to let me start training you, so don't worry about it."

My heart rate slows down and the image of Darius holding a knife fades away. I sit back down to take a couple of deep breaths before speaking again. "Okay...then what're we going to be doing today to train?"

He laughs then squats down in front of me and pats my head. I swear. One day I'm going to bite his whole arm off one of these days. Sow his mouth together, too. See who's laughing then. Hmph.

"Absolutely...nothing."

I stare at his blank face for a moment.

"What the hell do you mean 'nothing'!"

"I mean today is your day off. You were half dead yesterday and it was barely morning. You slept for a day and a half and you think that waking up at six in the afternoon means that you can start training? Nuh uh." Haruko shakes his head. "I don't care if you like it or not, but you're spending the rest of today with good old Haruko. There's nothing you can do about it. Darius is training by himself so don't even try to tell him to make me train you."

He sounds like some kind of mother you hear about. The incredibly protective ones that are desperately trying to find time to spend with their daughter. What a complete dork.

"Fine, good old Haruko...so do you plan on doing?" I give him a suspicious look.

His only replay was an evil grin which I didn't like at all. Suddenly, he grabs one of my arms and begins to run.

"Ugh! Not this again!" What the hell was he plannign now?

We stop after a couple of miles which were mostly spent on stairs in an abandoned building. Haruko's speed is unbelieveable. I almost fell, and I doubt Haruko would've noticed if I actually did. He probably would've kept running and drag me along side of him.

"I thought...you said...we...were gonna...take a break...from training!" I try to catch my breath.

"We're here just on time." I stop panting and look up at Haruko. His back was facing me, looking out of the window at something. Curious, I look over his shoulder to see the entire view of the city with the sun is just starting to set.

"Wahhhhh..." I couldn't say nything else while gawking at the perfect scene in front of me. Slowly, I walk up to the window sill to rest my elbows and use my hands to hold me head up.

Haruko smiles and pats my head. "I thought you'd like it." He rests his arms on the window sill, too, and we just watch in silence for a while.

"So...Darius told me today's your birthday." He loved breaking the silence when I actually WANT it.

"Yeah, so?" I don't get what the big deal is about birthdays. It comes up every every or so right? Big whoop. Aren't all birthdays the same? It's just a date. Then again, it's not like I actually had the choice of growing up like a "normal kid".

Haruko leaves me at the window sill and walks into another room. My eyes are still glued to the view, but I couldn't help wondering what the boy was doing.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I jump from his sudden scream and almost fall out the window. After rebalancing myself, I turn around to yell at him, but find him with something in his hands.

"It's a cake that I bought." Haruko gives me an extra wide grin. "I pick-pocketed a couple of people while you slept yesterday. You're eleven now, right?"

Like an idiot, i stare at the cake without managing to say anything like "Thank you" or "Yes, I am eleven."

Haruko's still grinning. "Well, come on. Blow out the candles before the wind does it for you. Come on."

I begin to walk forward, still not understanding why he bought cake for me. "Uhm...?"

"Blow them out..."

Why would he go through the trouble of lighting them, then have me blow them out? I curve my lips, getting ready to blow.

"WAIT!" I freeze in mid-air."I forgot to tell you to make a wish. Think of one and don't tell anybody what it is or it won't come true. Close your eyes!"

...Okay. Now he's just being scary. I have a feeling I'm supposed to be more excited then he is. I roll my eyes at him before I close them, hoping he'll shut up. Then, I make my wish and slowly blow out the candles.

After Haruko and I eat most of the cake, the both of us return to the window. The sunset makes the city glow beautifully.

"So...what'd you wish for?"

"I wished that...wait." I tear my eyes away from the sky to face him. "You said that if I told you anybody about my wish, it wouldn't come true!"

Haruko chuckles, still staring out at the city. "Well, it's not like anybody but the two of us will know. Don't get so worked up. You dont have to trust me if you don't want to."

His last sentence makes me jump. "I-I didn't mean it like that. I didn't say I didn't trust you. Of course I do. It's just-"

"I'll try not to laugh, okay?" Haruko turns to me with a grin on his face.

Try? -.-" That grin doesn't help convince me either. He'd probably start laughing before I even finish.

I cross my arms and turn away from him."Hmph. I don't believe you." I tilt my head slightly so I can see what his reaction is.

Haruko just gives me a small smile and turns to face the sunset again. I was expecting him to laugh and call me a name at least. I sigh and join him once again on the window sill.

"I wished..."I begin to tell him, but blush and turn my head away from him before finishing. "I wished that I could spend the rest of my birthdays...with Haruko like this."

It's only been a couple of days, but I've began to care for Haruko as much as I care for Darius. Something about him just made me feel...comforted. Safe. Like I've known him all my life, even though I haven't seen him since yesterday. Just knowing he was somewhere near by to protect me if I needed. Maybe that's the real reason why I wanted to train Haruko; to be even closer with him.

I suddenly feel his hand under my chin, gently tilting my head to face his.

"You're just too cute." I'm too entranced by his eyes to even blush at his words. But, my eyes soon notice his coming closer and closer towards me and I snap back. What is he...?

I stand there clueless while his face is only a few inches away from mines. I finally realize that he's about to ... kiss me and my eyes widen in shock. All I could do was just stare at him as he came closer and closer.

He stops short a couple of centimeters from my face. "You don't want a kiss."

I could feel his breath blow against my lips as he talks and I stop breathing. "N-no. I mean...yes...but..n-no. Uhm, I mean-" AIKO! You idiot! You're the biggest dork ever. STOP STUDDERING! He's just a boy!

"Close your eyes."

I shut my eyes hard, waiting for his lips to press against mines...but instead of feeling the softness of his lips, I feel pain in my cheeks. Shocked by the pain, I open my eyes to see Haruko smiling evilly, pinching my cheeks.

"You're too gulible, too." He let go and I quicklly lift both my hands up to rub my cheeks. I feel them turn red, but not just from the pain.

"W-what..." I'm so embarrassed and angry, I don't even know what to say. "What the hell...was that! You...idiot!"

My sudden burst of anger makes Haruko jump a little, but I don't care. I can just feel the rage building inside. He's right. I am gulible.

He can sense how angry I am. "Hey...I was just kidding." Haruko reaches out, but slowly and carefully as if he's scared I'm going to bite him.

I'm still standing there, burning mad. I feel tears ready to pour out, but I hold them back and begin to wonder...why...am I so upset? It was just a...well, it was just going to be a...kiss. A meaningless one from this...asshole. It wasn't meaningful to me...right? I was too deep in thought to notice Haruko's arm around me. He begins pulling me towards him.

"Hey...hey. I'm sorry. I was just kidding, okay?" Suddenly, he kisses my forehead.

The shock snaps me out of my deep thought. I look up at him in confusement, raise a hand to my forehead, and blush.

"You wanted a kiss right?" His eyes stare right into mines. "Now, don't bite me, okay?"

Both his arms wrap around me and he tightens his grip. I'm still standing there like a dumbass, with one hand on my cheek and another on my forehead. If somebody were to step in right now...they'd probably think I'm a complete idiot. But you know what? I don't care how stupid I look. All I care about right now...is being in his arms. His warmth. I lay my head on his chest and we stand there for a while.

"...Aiko..." I look up at him, expecting something sweet to come out of his mouth. "...you know I was lying about it being okay if you told me about your wish. It's never going to come true now. Why didn't you listen to me the first time?"

...-.-"

Why can't he learn to keep his mouth shut!

"I HATE YOU! You ruin EVERYTHING!" He immediately lets go of me and runs away. I quickly grab a piece of the cake that was left over and chase after him. Of course, Haruko's laughing his ass off like he's having the time of his life.

"If you HATE me so much, why did you cry when I didn't give you a kiss, huh? CRY BABY! NEHHHH!" He stops to stick his tongue out at me like the immature brat he is.

"UGH! SHUT UP! I DIDN'T CRY! I'M GOING TO CUT OFF YOUR TONGUE AND ARMS AND THEN YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO? SOW YOUR MOUTH SHUT!"

Haruko only laughs harder. "So you can kiss them without me moving away, huh? Well, too bad cause then you won't be able to french!"

I finally catch up to him and raise my arm, ready to throw the piece of cake at him. I miss, of course, and he almost falls on the floor from laughing too hard. I pretend to be angry, cross my arms, and turn away from him. His laugh finally dies out and he ends up right behind me. To make sure I won't attack him, he grabs hold of my arms.

"As long as I'm alive, I'll always be with you for your birthday." He leans closer to my ear and his voice turns to a whisper. "It's a promise."

One of his hands let go of my arm, but his other tightens. "We gotta get back now." He pulls me with him as he starts running back to where we left May, Ri, and Ioa. It's going to be a long way down the stairs, but..I think it's going to be be worth it. I look at the boy running in front of me. Just being able to be this close to him...it was nice.

(**A/N:** Is this going off kinda fast? xD. Oh welll. I started writing chapter five, too. OO. Gasp. It's only cause I've got nothing better to do while babysitting my cousin. SHE KEEPS BUGGING ME WHILE I'M TRYING TO WRITE! T-T. Five year olds. -.-")


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